Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated for centuries. But what are the holiday's origins, and who exactly was St. Patrick? Learn about the patron saint of Ireland, why St. Patrick's Day is associated with four-leafed clovers, and how the American Revolution contributed to the growth of this once minor religious holiday.

Every March 17, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with parades, parties, and a lot of green. This date marks the death of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Thought to have been born Maewyn Succat in late-4th Century Britain, the historical figure known as St. Patrick used the name "Patricius" in his writings. St. Patrick was neither Irish nor initially a devout Christian. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave. After years of enslavement, it is said a voice came to him in his sleep and urged him to escape. Reunited with his family, St. Patrick studied to become a priest and spent the remainder of his life as a missionary in Ireland. St. Patrick is attributed with using the three leaves of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity and banishing snakes from Ireland (although no evidence supports their existence on the island). St. Patrick’s Day was only a minor holiday in Ireland until the 1970s. In the United States, it has been celebrated since before the Revolutionary War, when Irish members of the Colonial Army held the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City in 1762. Today, the holiday has evolved to become a secular celebration of Irish culture.

Why Do We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated for centuries. But what are the holiday's origins, and who exactly was St. Patrick? Learn about the patron saint of Ireland, why St. Patrick's Day is associated with four-leafed clovers, and how the American Revolution contributed to the growth of this once minor religious holiday.